Great Waters Aztec Ruin Stout

Backlog: On draught during the Winterfest 2009 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Pours an opaque dark brown brew with a thin beige head that quickly dissipates to a thin ring. Aroma of green bell peppers, toasted dark malt, a touch of grassy hops and some chocolate. Taste is medium bodied, a tad spicy texture with flavors of more green bell peppers than toasted dark malt, but also has some chocolate in the background. Finish has a little spiced grit with a nice balance of peppers and toasted dark malt aftertaste.

Had this at Winterfest 2009. I wasn’t too impressed with this chili beer, although at least it wasn’t so overpowering (like the Chipotle Wee Heavy from Town Hall). The peppers were evident, but you could taste some of the stout qualities. Unfortunately those stout qualities were lacking. Too much of a cardboard flavor and too dry of a mouthfeel for my liking. Maybe I’m just not much of a fan of Great Waters stouts? I don’t know.